Tony Avella (b. October 27, 1951) is a Democratic member of the New York State Senate, representing District 11. He was first elected to the Senate in 2011.

Biography

Avella earned a BA from Hunter College of the City University of New York in 1974. In his professional life, Avella began his career in politics as an aide to various local and state officials. He was elected to the New York City Council to represent the 19th District in 2001, where he chaired the Zoning and Franchises Committee and founded and chaired the Italian-American Caucus.[1]

Committee assignments

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Avella served on the following committees:

Issues

Campaign themes

2012

Avella's website highlighted the following five main issues:

Fighting Overdevelopment: "Tony Avella believes that our local neighborhoods and communities are as unique as the people who live in them. In the State Senate, Avella will continue his legacy as an overdevelopment watchdog in order to protect the integrity of our communities."

Protecting Taxpayers: "As a middle-class homeowner, Tony Avella understands the crippling impact that out-of-control taxes have on New Yorkers. For too long we have paid billions in taxes to Albany, but have failed to receive our fair share in return. Avella believes that the taxpayers of eastern Queens deserve better results, and he’ll deliver those results as our next State Senator."

Ethics & Accountability: "Tony Avella believes that public office is a public trust and he knows that the politicians in Albany have broken that trust. A lifelong reformer, Avella is running for State Senate because he wants to change Albany so that it works for the people and not the political special interests."

Creating Jobs & Strengthening Our Economy: "Tony Avella understands that small businesses are the backbone of New York’s economy, but Avella knows that business as usual in Albany isn’t cutting it for our working families here at home. That’s why Avella wants to go to Albany to make sure that small businesses can thrive in a prosperous economy once again."

Improving Our Schools: "Education has always been a top priority for Tony Avella. While our education system remains strong, it has been forced to struggle to stay afloat without its fair share of equal funding from Albany. Avella is running for State Senate to even the playing field and provide our public schools and our children with the resources they deserve."

2010

Avella ran unopposed in the September 14 Democratic primary. Avella defeated incumbent Frank Padavan (R) in the general election on November 2. Avella ran as a member of the Democratic and Working Families parties. After a close race, Padvan conceded in defeat on November 10, 2010[5].

New York State Senate, General Election Results, District 11 (2010)

Candidates

Votes

Tony Avella (D)

31,573

Frank Padavan (R)

26,571

Campaign donors

2012

Campaign donor information is not yet available for this year.

2010

In 2010, Avella raised a total of $461,441 in campaign contributions.[6]